This article was written by Katherine Quesada, class of 2018.
Thousands of activists gathered at the nation’s capital to demonstrate the need for gun reform in light of the 17 school shootings in 2018. Mar. 24 marked a change not only in the attitude of the country, but also the course of direction for future legislation.
Heritage students attended various rallies extending from Parkland to Washington, and junior Amy Haft, founder of the new Advocating for Change Today (ACT) club, was one of at least five students who boarded a flight to the capital.
“It was important [for me to attend the march] to be a part of the central movement, and marching among thousands in D.C. seemed to be the best way to do that,” Haft said.
Haft met with a local D.C. friend and protested in a sea of approximately 800,000 protestors.
“It was an incredible experience to hear teenagers from all over the country with several unique backgrounds tell their stories and voice their opinions and demand action from the government,” Haft said.
Haft has attended several rallies and the town hall meeting hosted by CNN and thus was not new to the activist platform.
“It made me feel like I was a part of something big and important. Seeing the size of the crowd on the screens around me was so overwhelming; I could have never imagined what almost 1 million people looked like all gathered together in one place,” Haft said.
The ACT club hosted a letter writing workshop, Write for Rights, Thurs., April 19 in the Gymnasium, where members and volunteers wrote letters pleading for gun reform to the White House and Florida Congressmen.
The March for Our Lives was one of approximately 800 sister marches taking place across the United States, demonstrating the large scale the March for Our Lives has grown too. The movement also supported a nationwide walkout Fri. Apr. 20. Heritage allowed students to convene on the football field Friday in a peaceful walkout during third hour. Participating students gathered in the shape of a peace sign and listened to speakers, including MSD survivor Alexandra Geisser.
